Danny's Moon
by WofOZ
Summary: After a tramatic explosion, Danny finds himself connecting with the simplicity of the moon above. Sure he and Chin are probably going to die but with a view like this? He thinks it's not such a bad way to go; Even if Steve is threatening to burn down the islands to find them.


**Another one shot. This one was actually inspired by me sitting on a balcony and witnessing a "super moon" over one of the Great Lakes. Mother Nature is awesomely serene sometimes even if you do live in a city. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Oz**

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Sometimes, Danny was a conundrum even to himself. Normally he hated the water and really only swam if absolutely necessary. He'd been getting used to it since he'd moved to Hawaii and there was no denying how much enjoyed hearing Grace's laughter as she splished and splashed her way through the surf but never would he have ever thought to himself;

'Huh, this is kinda nice.'

It was a full moon out tonight, a "super moon" as he'd read in the paper earlier that morning. It was so big it almost felt like you could reach out and touch it as it cast an almost surreal glow on the ocean waters below it. For some reason or another, it was one of the most beautifully calming things the Jersey detective had ever seen. Like a visual lullaby that gently willed him to sleep with a promise of sweet relief once the darkness came.

"Danny... Danny! DANNY! Do NOT go to sleep brah!"

Snapping his eyes back open the detective floundered and was rewarded with a mouthful of cold salty water. He blinked and then blinked again realizing he was in the water a life-preserver the only thing keeping him from sinking to the bottom of that beautiful ocean. It took him a second but finally he finally managed to blink most of the salt crust from his eyes to gaze wearily upon the man who'd called his name.

Chin-Ho Kelly's face normally resembled that of the Moai from Easter Island. Normally it was an ever pensive gaze that never gave away what the man was thinking but clearly indicated whatever he was thinking, it was quite wise. Today, rather tonight, was a different story, there was fear in the man's eyes and not even the salt stinging Danny's eyes could hide that.

It made sense; they weren't exactly in a safe place at the moment.

Seven hours ago they'd been investigating a crime scene at a small time marina. Half a torso had washed up on shore which turned out to be one of the owners of the Marina and an ex-Marine. Needless to say, their fearless leader wanted in on the case and the Governor was glad to give it to them considering that former Marine was a decorated war hero.

Problem was, at the last second, Steve had been called into court to testify for a previous case they had worked. So while Kono handled the tech side of this case, Chin and Danny had gone to the Marina to see what they could find out.

What they found was trouble.

The other Marina owner was fidgety from the moment the two detectives said "Five-0". Now maybe if Steve had been there he would have been more suspicious and less willing to hope for a peaceful solution to their problems. Maybe if Steve had been there, he would have gotten the drop on the Marina owner's partner before he cold-cocked Danny in the head and held Chin at gun point.

When the Jersey detective had come too, he and Chin were on the back of a small fishing boat that had seen better days. Worse still; next to Danny were two tanks of gasoline and a slow burning fuse leading right to them. For a moment, Danny was sure they were dead. He was sure no one would ever find his body and cursing whatever gods there were, his fate would be burial at sea.

That was not an option; not for a man who wanted nothing more than to die old and happy surrounded by his family. How he'd gotten free was still a blur though Danny had a feeling it had something to do with the searing pain in his left wrist which had thankfully gone numb a short while ago. He'd freed Chin and thrown the man over board just as the entire world exploded.

For the second time that day, Danny was sure he'd blacked out because when he'd come too, he had a life-preserver wrapped around him and Chin was clutching him up against a floating piece of wreckage. The only saving grace was that the ocean was relatively calm that night; ten foot waves and a storm and their odds of survival would have dropped from slim to none.

"M'wake," Danny slurred.

"Be awake with your eyes open," Chin said with a slight edge of concern. "I'm not telling Steve you got yourself killed being a hero." Danny smirked in spite of his growing fatigue.

"S'eve," the detective chuckled. "Y'think he'd be in this mess?" Chin shook his head. "Probably would have just kicked in the Marina owner's door and put a gun to his head until he confessed," he replied. Danny chuckled.

"Consider'n I like that idea as'posed to what we got going on right now," he said. Then a wave of guilt washed over him and he looked at Chin, his lips going bluer by the second. This far out, the water wasn't so nice and refreshing as it was close to shore. "M'sorry Chin," Danny said. The Hawaiian native raised his eyebrows as his free hand idly paddled through the water.

"For what?"

"Gettin' us into this mess," Danny replied. "Should'a gone to the crime scene by myself or at least... I should have known something was coming."

"Brah," Chin said blowing out some water from an errant wave that slapped him in the face. "This is NOT on you. There's no way we could have known Manoa had an accomplice in his partner's murder." Danny sighed a pathetic sigh, something shifted in his chest and he was now certain there was a broken rib or two.

"Should'a been ready for anything," he lamented. "Been hanging around Commander Boy Scout long enough to know better."

"Know better?" Chin asked. Danny nodded though something pulled and stung on his neck and back, no doubt burns from the explosion; how bad he didn't even want to venture a guess.

"Don't trust anyone," he replied. For whatever reason this drew a tired chuckle from his fellow survivor as Chin paused in his paddling for a moment.

"S'not a healthy attitude brah," Chin replied.

"No s'not," Danny agreed firmly. "But f'we'd kicked in that door and made him confess at gun point like S'eve we'd be on dry land right now. B'having my phone call with Grace." Suddenly another emotion washed over the detective, a gush of fear that had his adrenal glands pumping in overdrive. "Grace!" he floundered splashing in every which direction. "Where's Grace!?"

"Danny! Easy! She's not here! She's safe! She wasn't on the boat!" Chin urged. The fear ebbed as Danny tried to reign in his senses and focus. He took as deep a breath as he could and nodded, unsure what he was nodding at he nodded all the same.

"Sorry," he said as he realized he'd doused Chin in a fresh shower of salt water and nearly dislodged the man's hold from their makeshift life raft. "Chin... m'sorry."

"No worries," Chin replied. And Danny believed the man wasn't upset in the least; he couldn't be, there was to much fear in his eyes.

Way to much in fact.

"S'wrong?" Danny asked.

"Nothing's wrong Danny," Chin replied. "Steve and Kono'll find us. It's all good."

"Liar," Danny grumped. However the kick of adrenaline from being worried about Grace made the detective slightly more aware of what was going on. He remembered being in a lot of pain when he woke up but now it was numb. He remembered how frantic Chin was calling his name until he finally responded to the man. He also was quite certain, he hadn't moved a thing but his mouth for almost two hours now.

With the damning thoughts, Danny also realized Chin wasn't just idly paddling with one hand; he was kicking with his feet as well. They were on the move and only now did Danny realize he had no idea where and that he hadn't been helping in the least.

"Where we goin'?" he asked.

"Thought I'd take you for a moonlit swim," Chin replied. His eyes focused on anything but Danny's.

"Y'buy me dinner first Chin-Ho," he grinned.

"I'll buy you diamonds if you stay awake," came the short response. Again, Danny found himself smiling but soon it faded.

"M'goina die out here aren't I?" he asked out of the blue. Once again Chin stopped swimming, this time rather abruptly and spun to finally look Danny in the eye. Danny's eyes however had once again found the beautiful moon and it's calming otherworldly presence.

"You're not going to die out here," Chin said a bit abruptly. "I wont tell Steve you died being a hero and I sure as hell wont tell Grace I let you go." Had Danny been more aware of what was going on, he would have realized he'd never heard Chin speak with such concern... or with so many words. Normally the man was all silent looks, raised eyebrows and a jerk of the head. Silent and stoic, a solid presence that never wavered, never failed.

"Gracie?" Danny coughed.

"Yeah brah," Chin said. "That kids something else."

"She is," Danny nodded proudly. Then he looked down from the moon and reminded himself once again they had started to move again. He couldn't think clearly anymore and that would have been a concern...

If he could still think clearly.

"Where are we going?" he asked again.

"Home," Chin replied succinctly as if they were one doggie paddle away from land. Danny tried to look around him but his world did an odd swirl and he slammed his eyes shut.

Dying at sea, the detective thought to himself, like his Billy all those years ago. How far would the current take his body? Would he be lucky enough to be found?

"DANNY!" The detective snapped his eyes open once again to Chin shaking his shoulders.

"M'here," Danny he slurred. Chin closed his eyes as if fighting some sort of migraine and let out a deep breath. Only when he opened them did the Jersey native see just how much concern and fear was in the man's eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Too long," Chin all but heaved out. "Brah... you will not die, understand?" It was a statement of absolute fact, there was real fear there but Chin told him he wasn't going to die. He was NOT going to die.

"Y'sound like Steve," Danny murmured.

"Someone needs to be a voice of absolute completely unfounded optimistic logic," Chin replied. That drew a breathy pained chuckle from both men. Danny floated and Chin swam in silence for a few more minutes before Danny felt the need to speak again.

"Wh're do you s'pose they are?"

"Who?"

"S'eve n'Kono," Danny replied.

"Swimming out to get us probably," Chin muttered. "Or corralling half the Navy in Pearl to come get us."

"Only half?" Danny mused.

"The other half would be shelling that Marina," Chin replied. Again Danny found himself giggling deliriously.

"You're a funny guy when you want to be Chin-Ho," he chuckled.

"Anything to keep you talking." Danny smiled fondly as he realized just how much effort Chin was putting in to keeping him alive. They'd both been through a trauma and all Danny could do was simply lie there as extra weight.

"You hurt?" Danny asked not knowing if he'd already asked that question.

"Nothing a good night sleep wont fix," Chin said. He glanced at Danny which the detective only saw from the corner of his eye; once again his gaze found the fascinatingly large moon. The serenity it provided his mind kept drawing his attention.

"S'a "Super moon"," Danny explained in a burst of information. "Close to the earth so it looks much bigger."

"My auntie used to say those big moons were there when lost souls needed to be guided home," Chin replied. Then he chuckled sadly, "Kind of poetic don't you think?"

"Mmm," Danny said. A slightly bigger wave rolled over them and caused a spasm of something powerful to rock the detective's entire body and he moaned curling in on himself.

"Easy, brah," Chin urged with a patient calm. "Breathe through it. C'mon Danny, just breathe." The detective did his best to breathe through the sudden onslaught of pain; he also forced his eyes open and tried to focus on that moon.

This time however, there a spot on the moon and it seemed to be getting bigger. The spot made Danny frown as it was ruining his serene view.

"S'dirty," Danny grunted. "Chin, clean it, s'dirty."

"What? Danny what are y-" Suddenly Chin cut himself off snapping his head toward the moon. "It's a helicopter! Danny! It's a helicopter!" Relief gushed through Danny so strongly he must have blacked out again because when he opened his eyes, the winds were kicking up around them and sure enough their savior was hovering close by.

Danny just caught sight of a figure tuck their arms against their body and leap a few meters into the waters below. A few power strokes later and a familiar face appeared causing the detective to laugh. Figures his Navy SEAL of a partner would be the one jumping from a helicopter to save him. Never mind the Navy divers and professionals on board the craft hovering close by.

"Anything for a chance to jump from a flying object int'the sea, eh S've?" he chuckled.

"Can't let you boys have all the fun," the Navy SEAL smiled. "How we doing Chin?"

"Danny took most of the blast," Chin huffed out in relief when Steve slipped Danny into his arms and relieving the Hawaiian of the burden. "He's bad brah, been in and out of consciousness for the last few hours."

"Hrs?" Danny slurred. He blinked the salt from his eyes as a basket started lowering toward them in the water. He looked up to try and find his moon only to realize their was a deep pink starting on the horizon.

"What say we get you guys some place dry?" Steve said ignoring Danny's question.

"Sounds good brah," Chin replied.

"Danny? You ready to go?"

"T'nk it'll be there t'morow?" Danny slurred realizing his peaceful moon would soon disappear.

"What will? Danny, what'll be there?" Steve asked as Chin swam out to grab the basket and guide it toward them.

"S'nice," Danny said coherent thoughts were starting to leave him all together. The only single thing that kept running through his mind was how calming, how peaceful and how absolutely grateful he was to have that moon lighting up the night.

"C'mon Danno, stay with us," Steve urged.

"Th'moon... Makes s'water calm," Danny smiled. "S'nice like this."

"Damn it Danny stop looking at that moon like it's the last thing you'll ever see!" Steve spat out. "You're going to be fine, okay? Let's get you in the basket... you got it Chin?"

"Yep," the Hawaiian replied.

"T'd be 'kay, if it was," Danny slurred. The pink horizon as getting stronger and lighter, his moon starting to fade and with it, Danny's weary body. He knew Chin and Steve were still talking to him but he couldn't focus on them and the moon so instead he kept watching the moon. He locked it in his gaze as he was hoisted into the air which made him smile as it brought them closer together.

If only for a brief not entirely lucid moment as he reached the door of the helicopter, did Danny think he could reach out and touch the damn thing. But then he was pulled inside and was no longer able to see the glowing orb itself just its luminous presence on the water below.

"Hang on Detective, we're going to pick up your friends and then we'll get you warm and dry," said the Navy rescue man at his side. Feeling his strength waning, Danny grabbed the man's sleeve startling him a bit. "Whad'ya need detective?" he asked.

"My moon," he slurred out. Then as Chin appeared next to him, everything faded away to nothingness.

For several days, Danny was on a cocktail of pain killers and was all but chained to his hospital bed. In one of his lucid moments after 72 hours of a medically induced coma that followed six hours of surgery, the detective found out just how bad he'd been injured. Aside from some bad burns that were wrapped in dressings, he had three broken ribs, one collapsing a lung once he got to the hospital; both legs and his right arm broken with five breaks between them and a concussion that would make Steve proud.

He'd nearly died, the doctor told him. He HAD died, Steve explained later when they were alone, twice; once in the helicopter and once on the operating table. Chin, as it turned out wasn't as unscathed as he'd led Danny to believe. He'd also suffered some burns, though not as bad as Danny and a broken leg... yet he'd kept on swimming.

"You up for some visitors?" Danny looked away from the ceiling he'd been staring at and gingerly turned his head toward the door. Steve came in pushing Chin in a wheelchair, his leg in a full cast and a patch of gauze on his neck coming out of the scrub top he was wearing.

"Why do you get scrubs'n I get this dress?" Danny grumbled about his hospital gown. It was the first day he was actually feeling slightly back to normal as the doctor's had finally decided he was strong enough to dial down the pain meds.

"Because you have nicer legs than he does," Steve grinned. Danny just rolled his eyes and gave an angry look at his "legs" that were buried beneath what felt like a few kilos of plaster cast.

"Bet he's got a room with a view too," Danny sighed. Ever since he'd come too he found himself feeling a little lost and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.

"Sorry Danny, looks like you're going to be in here for a few more days before they can change accommodations," Chin replied.

"Figures," the detective harrumphed even though it pulled on his sore chest.

"But Kono's bringing you something that Chin said might help," Steve replied. Danny raised an eyebrow just as the topic of their current conversation walked in the door carrying a large picture frame.

"What's that?" he asked.

"From me to you brah," Chin smiled despite a bruised face. Kono turned the frame around and there was a perfect enlarge photo of Danny's moon. It was so perfect Danny's face curled into a large grin as Kono went about putting it up next to his bed.

"It's perfect," he smiled suddenly not feeling so lost anymore.

"So you'll always be guided home," Chin explained. That made Danny smile even more as he looked at the people around him and Kono put a hand on his shoulder.

"Coarse he will," Steve said. "Because once you two are back to work, you're not going anywhere without me."

"Or me," Kono nodded firmly. "Should have seen Steve take down Manoa, bruddah's probably wishing he was in that explosion instead of you."

"What did you do?" Danny asked curiously.

"I did what needed doing," Steve said folding his arms across his chest his face in a firm but defiant pout.

"Steven," Danny coaxed. Running a hand down his face, the Navy SEAL rolled his eyes.

"I may have kicked in his door and encouraged him to tell us where they'd left you," he shrugged. Simultaneously Danny and Chin grinned with amusement.

"And by encouraged, he means put a gun to his head and threatened to burn the marina to the ground with him in it," Kono smirked. Steve looked miffed as Danny and Chin started chuckling.

"You can call me an animal and rant at me when you're better," the SEAL grumbled anticipating some sort of rant. Instead Danny just chuckled a bit harder.

"You know what Steve?" Danny said through his laughter.

"What?" Steve asked cautiously.

"Don't ever change," he chuckled. "Don't EVER change."

"Amen to that," Chin added.

After visiting hours were over and Danny had once again thanked Chin for saving his life the man found himself wide awake despite the late hour. The detective looked at his picture that had been set up by his bed and to then his slumbering but ever vigilant partner who'd yet again strong-armed his way into staying within the room for the night.

It was good to have a team that would always come find you.

It was good to feel like you belonged to something ever lasting like the moon among the stars.

It was good to be home.

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**Hope you liked it and hope you're having a good day! If not, no worries, tomorrow can't be NEARLY as bad. LOL**

**Love you all!**

**Oz**


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